Dr. ChrisTina
spacebotanynerd.bsky.social
Dr. ChrisTina
@spacebotanynerd.bsky.social
A plant biologist who likes working with engineers to grow plants in space.
Today was the first time that I found Tolkien in the Science Fiction section of a library.
October 21, 2025 at 11:32 PM
How will you bring joy into your life today?
Yesterday I couldn't find any good reason not to put on my swimsuit and spend a few hours in a pool with my children. So I did. And it was fun.

I'm sharing a photo of me in my swimsuit with you. Perhaps it will motivate you.

#juststrong
September 15, 2025 at 10:41 AM
The Botanical world mourns today.
A giant in the field is no more.

Rest in peace, Donovan Kirkwood.

news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

This is another piece about his work:
www.nature.com/articles/d44...
September 1, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Annoyed by all those containers that don't match a top?

Try growing plants in them.
The shallow ones are great for propagating.
This one is a Rubbermaid container. Durable, nice, but not too useful once the top is lost.

Bonus, if the top ever turns up, wash it out and use. @rubbermaid.bsky.social
August 31, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina
Extremophile Adaptation: How A Deep Sea Worm Survives High Arsenic And Sulfide Levels
astrobiology.com/2025/08/extr... #astrobiology #oceanography #extremophile
Extremophile Adaptation: How A Deep Sea Worm Survives High Arsenic And Sulfide Levels - Astrobiology
A deep sea worm that inhabits hydrothermal vents survives the high levels of toxic arsenic and sulfide in its environment
astrobiology.com
August 30, 2025 at 5:40 PM
A little purple flower peeks out between the bright pink bracts of this ornamental turmeric. It shares a pot with a variegated spider plant.
August 30, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I like this one. It's food for scientific thought.
www.instagram.com/reel/DM8OrRj...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
August 30, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Emma the Space Gardener released a new Mission Report today!
spacebotany.uk/blog/mission...
Mission Report: 26 August 2025 - Space Botany
My top stories from the world of space plants and gardening this week include tomato seeds in space, space-flown seeds heading home and a potential Lego Mark Watney!
spacebotany.uk
August 26, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Are you going for a stroll today?
Do you plan to stop and smell the flowers?
🪷🌹 🌺 🌹 🌺 🪷
It's a great thing to do - but be careful out there.

🚫 Don't touch these purple flowers!
🟣💜🟪🚫☠️⚠️
Monkshood!
Also known as wolfsbane.
The scientific name is Acontium. Everything in this genus is dangerous.
July 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Botany is in the house!

Life Sciences Department
Botany Section

Don't recognize the sign?

It's a Star Trek reference. Here's a link explaining more.
memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Botany_...
June 18, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina
BREAKING: The president's budget request just hit Congress, which could usher in a dark age for NASA space science.
Congress has the final say, but you can help shape the outcome by adding your name to our global petition.
This is just the start of our fight.
Sign the petition: planet.ly/petition
May 30, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Want to see NASA Space plant hardware (BRIC-PDFU) put together? With music?
Here is a video the Kiss Lab put together many years ago.
youtu.be/SeH9dFBWgz0?...
Hardware Susan wmusic
YouTube video by botanynerd
youtu.be
June 1, 2025 at 1:54 AM
The Barbie Doll designed after Samantha Cristoforetti is on sale on Amazon right now!

Here's an affiliate link.
amzn.to/3ZHhFRJ
May 29, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Our latest paper is out!
Testing out a new option for Seed Handling in Space.
sciendo.com/article/10.2...
Japanese Oblate Film as a Novel Method for Seed Handling...
In-situ food production for long-duration space missions is currently reliant on crop production, with plants grown from seed serving as a...
sciendo.com
April 16, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina
The world's smallest flowering plant might solve our biggest space challenges. New research shows duckweed (Wolffia globosa) thrives in altered gravity—potentially feeding future astronauts while using minimal resources.

Read more at wp.me/pdRZhH-lPJ

#Botany #PlantScience 🧪
Wolffia globosa and its potential for space agriculture
Have you ever wondered what space food looks like? A recent study published in Scientific Reports by Romano and...
wp.me
March 25, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina
This wasn't how I planned on starting my day, but NASA's 'First Woman' graphic novel begins with a woman of colour harvesting and serving a space-grown salad, and I'm peeved it has been removed from the NASA website.

spacebotany.uk/blog/the-fir...
The First Woman’s Space Salad - Space Botany
NASA's 'First Woman' graphic novel opens with a woman of colour harvesting and eating a space-grown salad.
spacebotany.uk
March 26, 2025 at 7:16 AM
"Ma, why are you looking at so many books?"
"It's fun."
"I don't see how that's fun. I would find it overwhelming and frustrating. I have so much more fun with video games."
"I find video games overwhelming and frustrating. This is my kind of puzzle game."
"Oh. What are you puzzling over?"
March 21, 2025 at 2:20 PM
I never really show off the cool stuff on my wall. Shuttle drawn by a former intern. Painting of microgreens in Microgravity by a colleague. Cover photo of a spaceflight study. Autographed astronaut photo. A cross stitch by a friend. A medal from a 5K run that I was especially grateful to finish.
March 21, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Yesterday the children saw this critter while we were hiking. I was shocked that they even saw it! I certainly didn't. Our 12 year old tried taking photos of it on her phone. She could not get it to focus how she wanted. She asked me to do it with my camera. She approved of this photo.
March 3, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Make the choice that is for your highest good!
March 2, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Just a photo of the sky.
February 28, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Happy Friday, y'all.
February 22, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Want to know about the Global Arctic Seed Vault?
Here's a tour.
youtu.be/2_OEsf-1qgY?...
Inside the Svalbard Seed Vault
YouTube video by Veritasium
youtu.be
February 21, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Let's learn more about what it takes to farm in space.
www.nasa.gov/humans-in-sp...
So You Want to Be a Space Farmer… - NASA
Scientists are conducting on-orbit studies requiring human tending to crops, like space farmers controlling environmental parameters to ensure plant success
www.nasa.gov
February 20, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Belong, Connect, Grow
February 19, 2025 at 3:37 PM